Death is Nothing But the Next Adventure
by Mock Silence
Summary: A story of Dustfinger's adventures in death. Please tell me what you think!
1. Chapter 1

Short Recap:

Meggie, Mo, and Resa are in the Inkworld. Farid has just been killed, and Dustfinger and Meggie are sitting by Farid's dead body, in shock. Suddenly, Dustfinger asks Meggie to ask Resa about an old tale and to tell her he will always return to her. Meggie exits.......................

Chapter one: Sacrifice

I watched as Meggie trotted through the entrance of the gallery and down the halls. Looking down at Farid's peaceful face, I knew that I could never bear to know that he was dead. He was dead. Why did this happen to him, of all people? He was just a boy, boys shouldn't have to see and participate in the things he had. That we all had. Innocence rarely kept in this world, with its current leaders at least. And his was obviously gone. But he loved Meggie, and love was enough to cover any faults. My mind turned Roxanne, would she understand what I meant when Meggie relayed my message?

I shook my head to clear it of these thoughts; I had a job to do. Crouching down, I rubbed my palms together and called to the fire, teasing it to show me how bright it could be. All around me, fire-birds erupted in the air and vines of fire climbed the wall. A Horned Marten perched on my shoulder and nibbled at my ear affectionately. And Roxanne's name burned brightly amidst the fiery vines on the cave wall.

A chill raced down my back, and I looked up from the Marten on my shoulder. A host of White Women stood around Farid, staring in awe at the fiery world that surrounded them. I cleared my throat, and they turned to me. "You like fire, don't you?" I whispered, "I could give you fire, everyday, all the time."

The White Women stirred, and their voices, like leaves rustling in the wind spoke all at once. "What would you want in return?"

I kneeled down next to Farid, and smoothed his hair from his face. "Only his life to be restored."

"You won't be there to welcome him back to your world; you won't feel the joy of seeing him among you again. When you leave, he will mean nothing to you." They whispered, drawing nearer to me, I could almost feel their garments brushing against the skin of my hands.

I bowed my head, and stood up. "I know, but I would do anything to know that he was alive again, even if I only knew for a moment."

Silence followed my last statement. Had they disappeared? But then cold seeped through my skin, and deep into my bones, I felt as if ice was forming around my very heart. I looked up, and saw the White Women crowded around me, their hands pressed to my chest. Cold emitted from their fingers, covering me in a blanket of invisible ice. All around me, the fire disappeared, until all that was left was Roxanne's name, but it too, began to fade. "No," I whispered, "That must stay." The fire obeyed my command and burned brighter, filling the room with its light.

But then, the White Women removed their hands, almost guiltily. I looked up, and Roxanne was standing in the doorway, Meggie and Resa not far behind. Roxanne's face was a mix of terror and pain, and I felt a pang of guilt as I looked upon her face. But I would always try to find my way back to her. Even in death.

"Remember my promise." I tried to say, but my frozen lips withheld my voice, a prisoner in my own body. I felt myself falling, and the ground rose to meet me. My body was frozen,and I felt the cold pulling me deeper and deeper into the realms of death. I landed in a heap next to Farid, and saw his eyes flutter as I succumbed to darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Awakening

Blue, everything was blue. Indigo, Navy, Sky, Forget-Me-Not. It embraced me in its pulsing color, dancing and twirling around me. Shapes, lost in the maelstrom, flew around me. Once in a great while, a fragment of the blur would swing into focus, showing me bits and pieces of things I couldn't understand. A man lay dying, while gun shells flew over his head. A woman held a gun to her head, sobbing. A man writhed in a hospital bed, screams ripping from his throat. On each person's shoulder sat a Raven, a skull-shaped mark on its glossy wing.

And then, all was still. Darkness settled down on me like a blanket, comforting me with its peace. I lay in the silence, picturing Roxanne's face as she saw my dead body upon the ground. And even clearer to my mind came the image of Farid, living, breathing. Meggie's face as she saw him stirring back into life. Joy found me, washing over me in waves large enough to drown me.

Slowly, light ebbed back around me. The blue was still there, but it was mixed with greens and yellows of sunlight filtering through it. The current tugged at my clothes, slowly moving around me in a slow dance. Great was the contrast to the wild place of before.

I sank into acceptance of my surroundings. I was lying on a shore of sand, looking up into a sky of aquamarine blue. Overhead, fishes soared through the air. Krill and shrimp tangled in my hair, making nests for their families. Forest of seaweed waved above me, thirsting for the sun. Secretive creatures darted from in-between the seaweed, hiding away from the rest of the world.

And suddenly, they all darted away. I looked up and strange creatures moved toward me, fighting against the sluggish current. They were pale, with long tentacles that wriggled and strained towards me. Behind them trailed long white tails, oddly stiff and erect. They pushed against the water, and it almost seemed like the water was trying to protect me from these invaders, pushing their hands away. In the end, the water failed its own quest, and I watched in confused as the creatures passed into my chest.

Hands. I thought to myself. They're hands. And then the cold I remembered so well from my death gripped my heart.

I awoke on my back, looking up at the clouds. I closed my eyes, trying to remember the dream I had been having. I had been underwater, I think. And there was a searing cold, a cold I shuddered even in remembrance of it. And there was a woman, and a boy. What were their names? But even as I struggled to remember, it slipped away from me, teasing me.

I shook away the remainders of sleep and sat up. All around me, trees laughed and whispered in the wind, shaking their leaves at me. The sunlight formed pools of golden warmth in the grass where it passed through the tree's coverage. I sighed and began to pack my things away so I could continue on my way. One never wanted to stay in one place too long in the world of Death.


End file.
